Blood transfer devices for malaria rapid diagnostic tests : evaluation of accuracy, safety and ease of use

Background: Malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are increasingly used by remote health personnel with minimal training in laboratory techniques. RDTs must, therefore, be as simple, safe and reliable as possible. Transfer of blood from the patient to the RDT is critical to safety and accuracy, and poses a significant challenge to many users. Blood transfer devices were evaluated for accuracy and precision of volume transferred, safety and ease of use, to identify the most appropriate devices for use with RDTs in routine clinical care. Methods: Five devices, a loop, straw-pipette, calibrated pipette, glass capillary tube, and a new inverted cup device, were evaluated in Nigeria, the Philippines and Uganda. The 227 participating health workers used each device to transfer blood from a simulated finger-prick site to filter paper. For each transfer, the number of attempts required to collect and deposit blood and any spilling of blood during transfer were recorded. Perceptions of ease of use and safety of each device were recorded for each participant. Blood volume transferred was calculated from the area of blood spots deposited on filter paper. Results: The overall mean volumes transferred by devices differed significantly from the target volume of 5 microliters (p < 0.001). The inverted cup (4.6 microliters) most closely approximated the target volume. The glass capillary was excluded from volume analysis as the estimation method used is not compatible with this device. The calibrated pipette accounted for the largest proportion of blood exposures (23/225, 10%); exposures ranged from 2% to 6% for the other four devices. The inverted cup was considered easiest to use in blood collection (206/ 226, 91%); the straw-pipette and calibrated pipette were rated lowest (143/225 [64%] and 135/225 [60%] respectively). Overall, the inverted cup was the most preferred device (72%, 163/227), followed by the loop (61%, 138/227). Conclusions: The performance of blood transfer devices varied in this evaluation of accuracy, blood safety, ease of use, and user preference. The inverted cup design achieved the highest overall performance, while the loop also performed well. These findings have relevance for any point-of-care diagnostics that require blood sampling.

[await full-text]Evaluation of QAS Workplace Health and Safety Action Plan

This report identifies the outcomes of a program evaluation of the five year Workplace Health and Safety Strategy (2012-2017), specifically, the engagement component within the Queensland Ambulance Service. As part of the former Department of Community Safety, their objective was to work towards harmonising the occupational health and safety policies and process to improve the workplace culture. The report examines and assess the process paths and resource inputs into the strategy, provides feedback on progress to achieving identified goals as well as identify opportunities for improvements and barriers to progress. Consultations were held with key stakeholders within QAS and focus groups were facilitated with managers and health and safety representatives of each Local Area Service Network.

Expediency of Penetration Ratio and Evaluation of Mean Throughput for Safety and Commercial Applications in VANETs

Vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) applications are principally categorized into safety and commercial applications. Efficient traffic management for routing an emergency vehicle is of paramount importance in safety applications of VANETs. In the first case, a typical example of a high dense urban scenario is considered to demonstrate the role of penetration ratio for achieving reduced travel time between source and destination points. The major requirement for testing these VANET applications is a realistic simulation approach which would justify the results prior to actual deployment. A Traffic Simulator coupled with a Network Simulator using a feedback loop feature is apt for realistic simulation of VANETs. Thus, in this paper, we develop the safety application using traffic control interface (TraCI), which couples SUMO (traffic simulator) and NS2 (network simulator). Likewise, the mean throughput is one of the necessary performance measures for commercial applications of VANETs. In the next case, commercial applications have been considered wherein the data is transferred amongst vehicles (V2V) and between roadside infrastructure and vehicles (I2V), for which the throughput is assessed.

The safety and effectiveness of different methods of ear wax removal: a systematic review and economic evaluation

Build-up of earwax is a common reason for attendance in primary care. Current practice for earwax removal generally involves the use of a softening agent, followed by irrigation of the ear if required. However, the safety and benefits of the different methods of removal are not known for certain.

In vitro evaluation of the safety profile of cosmeceuticals containing growth factors and their analogues

Introduction: Aging skin is a condition that affects (or will affect) all people, and its treatment is considered a clinical challenge. Growth factors and their analogues are emerging as a promising therapeutic option. Objectives: To evaluate the safety profile of some dermocosmetic products with formulations based on growth factors - or their analogs intended for that purpose - using in vitro human skin cell culture models. Methods: Two types of cell cultures were studied, and the effects of the study products on the proliferation of melanoma cells and normal human fibroblasts were evaluated. Results: No significant morphological alterations were found in the cultured human melanoma, and no significant decrease in the number of healthy cells was verified in the normal fibroblasts culture. In some cases there was even a proliferation of those cells. Conclusions: These preliminary data demonstrate that cosmeceutical products containing growth factors as an active principle can be considered safe for topical application.

Operational safety: Development of electronic system for dynamic balance evaluation of farm tractors

The present study aimed at the development and evaluation of a low cost electronic device in order to provide safety for farm tractor users. The major accident occurrence in agricultural surroundings is from farm tractor side bending. Therefore, this sensor was designed to detect and alert about it. The results were satisfying. © 2013 Taylor & Francis Group.

Evaluation of a propolis water extract using a reliable RP-HPLC methodology and in vitro and in vivo efficacy and safety characterisation

Since the beginning of propolis research, several groups have studied its antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. However, most of these studies have only employed propolis ethanolic extract (PEE) leading to little knowledge about the biological activities of propolis water extract (PWE). Based on this, in a previous study, we demonstrated the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities of PWE. In order to better understand the equilibrium between effectiveness and toxicity, which is essential for a new medicine, the characteristics of PWE were analyzed. We developed and validated an RP-HPLC method to chemically characterize PWE and PEE and evaluated the in vitro antioxidant/antimicrobial activity for both extracts and the safety of PWE via determining genotoxic potential using in vitro and in vivo mammalian micronucleus assays. We have concluded that the proposed analytical methodology was reliable, and both extracts showed similar chemical composition. The extracts presented antioxidant and antimicrobial effects, while PWE demonstrated higher antioxidant activity and more efficacious for the most of the microorganisms tested than PEE. Finally, PWE was shown to be safe using micronucleus assays. © 2013 Bruno Alves Rocha et al.

Oncological Safety of Autologous Fat Grafting after Breast Conservative Treatment: A Prospective Evaluation

Autologous fat graft to the breast is a useful tool to correct defects after breast conservative treatment (BCT). Although this procedure gains popularity, little is known about the interaction between the fat graft and the prior oncological environment. Evidences of safety of this procedure in healthy breast and after post-mastectomy reconstruction exist. However, there is paucity of data among patients who underwent BCT which are hypothetically under a higher risk of local recurrence (LR). Fifty-nine patients, with prior BCT, underwent 75 autologous fat graft procedures using the Coleman's technique, between October 2005 and July 2008. Follow-up was made by clinical and radiologic examination at least once, after 6 months of the procedure. Mean age was 50 +/- 8.5 years, and mean follow-up was 34.4 +/- 15.3months. Mean time from oncological surgery to the first fat grafting procedure was 76.6 +/- 30.9months. Most of patients were at initial stage 0 (11.8%), I (33.8%), or IIA (23.7%). Immediate complication was observed in three cases (4%). Only three cases of true LR (4%) associated with the procedure were observed during the follow-up. Abnormal breast images were present in 20% of the postoperative mammograms, and in 8% of the cases, biopsy was warranted. Autologous fat graft is a safe procedure to correct breast defects after BCT, with low postoperative complications. Although it was not associated with increased risk of LR in the group of patients studied, prospective trials are needed to certify that it does not interfere in patient's oncological prognosis.

Evaluation of clinical safety and anthelmintic efficacy of aurixazole administed orally at 24 mg/kg in cattle

The current study evaluated, in vivo, the clinical safety and the anthelmintic efficacy of 24% aurixazole (24 mg/kg), administered orally, in bovines. Two experiments were conducted: the first one evaluating the clinical safety of 24% aurixazole (24 mg/kg) in cattle, and a second one evaluating the anthelmintic efficacy of aurixazole (24 mg/kg) against gastrointestinal nematodes on naturally infected cattle. Based on the results of clinical safety, no alterations on clinical and haematological signs and on the biochemical values obtained in animals treated orally with aurixazole 24 mg/kg were observed. Regarding the results of reduction or efficacy, obtained by eggs per gram of faeces (EPG) counts, the formulation of aurixazole reached values superior to 99% (arithmetic means) in all post-treatment dates. In two occasions, this formulation reached maximum efficacy (100%). Comparing these results with the reduction percentages obtained by EPG counts, it is possible to verify that the values obtained by all three formulations were compatible with the efficacy results. Aurixazole reached maximum efficacy (100%) against Haemonchus placei, Cooperia spatulata and Oesophagostomum radiatum. Against Cooperia punctata, this formulation reached an efficacy index of 99.99%. Regarding aurixazole, no specific trials were conducted on the field in order to evaluate the behaviour of this molecule against helminths that are resistant to other molecules, specially isolated levamisole and disophenolat: Due to this fact, future studies will be necessary to assess the effectiveness of aurixazole against strains of nematodes that are resistant to levamisole and disophenolat, but the results of clinical safety and efficacy described in this study allow us to conclude that the aurixazole molecule, concomitantly with other measures and orally administered formulations, can be another important tool in the control of nematodes parasitizing bovines. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.